Ford teased a brand new supercharger kit for the 2024 Mustang ultimately yr’s SEMA present in November, promising the improve would crank the horse automobile’s output to over 800 horsepower. The Blue Oval omitted necessary data like value and torque on the time, however now we all know all the main points.
Ford Performance now lists the twin-screw supercharger package on its web site, saying it’s going to crank the model’s 5.0-liter V-8 engine as much as 810 hp for simply $9,995. It’s appropriate with the Mustang GT and the Dark Horse … however provided that you reside outdoors of California.
Tesla has introduced congestion fees for their Superchargers. If the spot is busy and your car’s battery is over 90% charged, you will incur a $1.00 fee for every minute it’s still plugged in after a five-minute grace period. Tesla will notify users through the app if they are about to be charged. Customers with Supercharging credits or free Supercharging are not exempt from these fees. This rule applies to all vehicles that can use Superchargers, not just Tesla cars. Tesla justifies the fees by comparing them to not leaving a vehicle parked at a gas pump. The goal is to open up more charging spots for cars that need it.
The Ford Mustang Cobra Terminator, equipped with a supercharger and cast iron block, easily outperformed and outpaced the Chevrolet Camaro of its time.
The Mustang Cobra set a new standard for performance by combining increased power with superior traction and stability, thanks to its independent rear suspension and performance suspension components.
The SVT Cobra Terminator left a lasting legacy in the automotive industry, with its supercharger becoming a standard feature in many high-performance muscle cars today.
Of all the hotly contested car battles over the years, there are few that were as one-sided as the Ford Mustang Cobra vs the Chevrolet Camaro in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In the contest for the toughest, meanest, most powerful pony car, there could only be one winner, and the SVT Cobra Terminator was about to put the Camaro on ice for most of a decade.
It was 1994 and the team behind the Cobra had sat down to discuss options for more power and performance to push them ahead of the competition, and they’d come up with three concepts code-named after famous figures. The Bruce Jenner; a prototype built for speed, the Rambo; for pure aggression, and the Arnold Schwarzenegger; the definition of pure muscle.
The Arnold-inspired prototype went on to become the SN95 fourth generation Mustang and 10 years later, Ford would give this code name a nod, naming the SVT Cobra the ‘Terminator’, subtly hinting at what was to happen to the Camaro.
In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from various manufacturer websites and other authoritative sources, including Car and Driver, MotorTrend, and Hagerty.
Supercharger + Cast Iron Block = Cobra Terminator
Forced Induction Forced Out The Camaro
The formula for a Camaro-crushing monster came fairly easily to Ford when developing the Mustang Terminator; add more power, make the engine stronger, and upgrade the drivetrain to keep up. It’s how they did it that has left such a mark on the industry, with the SVT Cobra offering significant increases in power and performance over its predecessors.
The big change from the previous Ford Mustang Cobra was the addition of an Eaton M112 supercharger, borrowed from the SVT F-150 Lightning and typically found in high-performance cars, providing plenty of low-end power and torque with 8 psi of boost. This was the first time Ford had ever put a supercharger in a Mustang and the performance increase was significant.
A Surprisingly Powerful Combination
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Raising the power from 320 horsepower to 390, Ford actually rated the power lower in the factory than it ended up being on the road; with closer to 420 horsepower being sent from the big V-8, a massive 100 horsepower (just over 30 percent) over the previous model. In order to make sure they didn’t break the engine with the extra power, Ford installed a cast iron engine block (also from the SVT F-150 Lightning pickup) and forged internals that could handle far greater power. In fact, some people have managed to squeeze much more power out of the stock engine block.
Pair that with a 0-60 MPH time in just 4.5 seconds, and forced induction forced out the Camaro and you’re looking at a whole lot of cars in a nice tidy package. Mind you, that’s without doing any modifications to the Cobra, just with what Ford blessed us with out of the box.
How The Mustang Cobra Set A New Standard For Performance
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So Ford upped the power by a nice margin, but extra power isn’t all it takes to make a car as legendary as the 2003/2004 Mustang Cobra. Pairing this newer, bigger, more powerful heart with the right combination of drivetrain and body design was key to making this a car that would terminate the competition, and Ford didn’t hold back.
Leaner, Meaner, And Ready To Race
Moving away from the Mustang’s usual solid rear axle, Ford opted for independent rear suspension (IRS) to give the Terminator superior traction and stability when launching around corners. Pairing this with Bilstein shock absorbers and performance spec MacPherson strut front suspension, which can also be found in cars like the Porsche 911 GT3 and Subaru Impreza WRX STI, meant that the Terminator had the perfect combination of power and grip.
To further cement that this was a proper driver’s car, Ford only offered a 6-speed manual, and they picked a legendary transmission to do so; the Tremec T-56, also found in their competitors, the Corvette and Camaro.
The Next Big Step; Modification
One of the most popular features of the Mustang Terminator was how easily it could be modified for more power, and we’re talking over a hundred horsepower with a few bucks and a free afternoon. Like most boosted cars, the key to squeezing more power out is the air and fuel mixture, and with the SVT Cobra this can be achieved extremely easily with simple mods, and Mustangs are a great car to modify.
Bolt-on a larger supercharger pulley, install a larger fuel pump and some higher-capacity injectors, and you’re pushing the Cobra Terminator to over 500 horsepower without problems. Replace the stock Eaton supercharger with an aftermarket performance option like a Whipple supercharger with supporting parts, and you’d be pushing north of 700 horsepower, all out of a stock engine block from 2003.
The powerful supercharger, stronger engine, and greatly improved handling were all too much for the Camaro, and the comparison was clear; the SVT Cobra had terminated its closest competitor. In fact, the writing was on the wall for the Camaro before the Terminator had even stepped into the spotlight, with the ‘99 Mustang GT putting a hurt on the Camaro Z28 with a heavier, slower offering than the lurking SVT Cobra. When the dust settled, the Camaro lay dead and buried until 2009 when the fifth generation was released, leaving an almost seven-year stretch of Mustang dominance.
Cobra Vs. Camaro Vs. Corvette
Ford Mustang SVT Cobra Terminator
Chevrolet Camaro Z28
Chevrolet Corvette Z06
Engine
Supercharged 4.6-Liter V-8
5.7-Liter V-8
5.7-Liter V-8
Power
390 Horsepower (allegedly 420)
325 Horsepower
405 Horsepower
Torque
390 Pound-feet
340 Pound-feet
400 Pound-feet
Transmission
6-speed manual
6-speed manual
6-speed manual
1/4 Mile
12.9 Seconds @ 111 MPH
13.7 Seconds @ 105 MPH
12.4 Seconds @ 116 MPH
0-60 Time
4.5 Seconds
5.2 Seconds
3.9 Seconds
Top Speed
155 MPH (limited)
160 MPH
168 MPH (limited)
(Source: Ford, Chevrolet)
But the Cobra wasn’t done yet, eyeing off the Chevrolet Corvette for the muscle car crown with more power, more torque, and very similar 0 to 60 mph and quarter mile times when tested by MotorTrend, the Corvette being 532 pounds lighter meant it was slightly more nimble and quick, but at almost $13,000 difference between base models, that left a very large gap to modify the SVT Cobra into a Corvette terminator.
